Teaming Up With ND Great Plains Food Bank

October 11, 2012 2:48 pm

In our continuing efforts to make a difference in the communities where we sell our beer, FINNEGANS has struck up a new partnership with the North Dakota Great Plain Food Bank. We’re very excited to see our impact grow, and this partnership will increase our capacity greatly. We shot a few questions to Marcia Paulson, […]

In our continuing effortsto make a difference in the communities where we sell our beer, FINNEGANS has struck up a new partnership with the North Dakota Great Plain Food Bank. We’re very excited to see our impact grow, and this partnership will increase our capacity greatly. We shot a few questions to Marcia Paulson, the Director of Marketing and Development at the ND Great Plains Food Bank, to learn more about the particular food needs of North Dakota.

FINNEGANS: Where are the most pressing hunger needs in North Dakota? Are smaller, more isolated communities able to get the help they need? Has the recent influx of people due to the new oil exacerbated the issue at all, or has increased revenues eased anything?

Marcia Paulson: In a time of nationwide economic struggles, North Dakota is a bright spot on the map with low unemployment rates, benefits from natural resources, abundant jobs in energy and agriculture, and a large state budget surplus. It is a top producer of food for the United States and the world, and its people are known for their kind character and value systems that demonstrate neighbors caring for neighbors. In so many ways North Dakota is thriving. Yet, at this time of growth and abundance, there are thousands of people who wonder how they will pay their mortgage, feed their family or cover their medical costs. Nowhere is this disparity more evident than in western North Dakota. In a region where support services may be nonexistent, limited or many miles away, those who don’t make oilfield wages are facing the boom’s negative side effects. Many are barely surviving.

F: How are you planning on working with local farms to get produce?

MP: We are currently working with several local growers in North Dakota who are donating their surplus produce including potatoes, onions, carrots, squash, cabbage and corn. With their support, and the support of FINNEGANS, we expect to delivery more than 3 million pounds of this very nutritious food – getting it into the hands and mouths of thousands of children, seniors and working families across North Dakota. We look forward to building new relationships with CSAs and Farmer’s Markets in the years to come to bring even a greater variety of product to those in need.

F: How involved are North Dakota communities in fighting hunger?

MP: To end hunger in North Dakota, it’s going to have to take place at the local level. Here in North Dakota we have hundreds of communities that committed to this vision. By operating food pantries and soup kitchens, to volunteering at community food drives, to sharing their financial resources and voices in awareness, North Dakota and it’s people are engaged. Ending hunger in North Dakota is going to take place at the local community level. Hundreds of communities across the state are engaged.

If people are interested in learning what they, their family, their business, their church or their service club can do to combat hunger in their community, I invite them to visit our website at www.greatplainsfoodbank.org. Here, they’ll find a list of hunger-relief organizations in their community, top food drive items needed, giving options and volunteer opportunities.

We believe ending hunger is a shared responsibility and we’re excited to be partnering with Finnegan’s in the work. It’s great to find a corporate partner that aligns with our day-to-day mission of hunger-relief. Together we can do more!

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Are you ready to drink like you care, North Dakota? We guarantee you it’s the easiest way to help make a difference in your community. Look for FINNEGANS in bars and liquor stores near you.